16 Cuersaar 837
Aida & Paige | Zephrah (Tal’Dorei)
Jinoir, the driver of the cart Aida, Jon, and Paige ride in, attempts to take advantage of Aida’s generosity with the idea of going to Westhall Academy in Westruun.
Aida gives him 2 gp, Paige is horrified by her use of money.
Jon, trying to help Aida work through her self-esteem issues (because she thinks Ioun chose wrong), asks her what she’d want if she got a free wish. She struggles with an answer, because she doesn’t want to be selfish.
Jon asks Paige the same question, and Paige seems affected in a way that is strange. Struggles to find a song to play, and lands on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmhkgICVmdA.
They consider what Rumis might wish for, and don’t land on an answer.
Deeply depressing! Aida can’t see who Jon is devoted to.
Jon tells Aida his power comes from his devotion to her (no opportunity for a response yet, Mashby likes edging evidently).
“What? Devotion? Who…who’s your patron?” (Aida)
“It’s you.” (Jon says, cupping Aida’s face)
Aida casts fireball (presumably a heart-shaped one) before counterspelling it.
Caravan arrives in Zephrah, with Jon departing to aid in unloading & give Aida time to calm down (she’s very flustered).
Shocking! Aida polymorphs into an owl to avoid Emotions, and Paige is accosted immediately upon leaving the caravan by a silver dragon born named Greisalda Cassios.
Cassios is the High Curator of the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun, and well aware of Paige’s history with the Cobalt Soul.
Paige Lore Drop: Cassios refers to her as “Elizabeth Paige”
Cassios reveals that Aida, Paige, and Jon’s unlawful use of the teleportation circle placed a tracking spell on them, which allowed Cassios to find them in Zephrah. Cassios offers an ultimatum: Paige (and Aida) have to “earn” their way into the Cobalt Soul to retroactively legitimize their use of the teleportation circle, or serve an unknown amount of jail time.
Cassios presents Paige with a silver bracelet that is enchanted with unknown magic, and tells her it is a communication device.
Paige Lore Drop: Paige has been to jail before, and her feud with the Cobalt Soul (on the Cobalt Soul’s end) began when she threw rocks at their windows until one broke & threw dog shit in the room where a leader was present. Paige does not like the Cobalt Soul because of their pretentious nature.
Aida lands on Paige’s shoulder as an owl, and when Paige calls her Aida, Cassios dispels Aida’s polymorph.
Aida is told she, barring the misdemeanor of her using the teleportation circle, is an excellent candidate for the Cobalt Soul once she cleans her record of said misdemeanor (Aida doesn’t seem eager).
Bracelet is a direct line of contact to Cassios, and can be used to contact Paige over great distances by any person Cassios designates.
Arrangement is if Paige & Aida are called, they must answer (or be made criminals by the Cobalt Soul).
Paige accepts the bracelet, and later examination shows that magic cast on it is absorbed and redirected to Paige in the form of lightning damage (one damage for a cantrip (prestidigitation), and three damage for a first-level spell (identify). Experimentation (aka Paige banging it on things and using a crowbar) reveals that it cannot be pried off.
Aida tries to persuade Paige to go flying with her and Jon, but Paige reveals she’s uncomfortable with heights since Pandora died (specifically says something along the lines of the last time she used fly, she couldn’t save Pandora).
Paige casts sending thrice:
(1) Asks Pandora who Rodreck is - Pandora answers that he’s her lieutenant, and reveals that there was an assassination attempt on her life (mentions circle of death).
(2) Asks Pandora for details (in a what-the-fuck-that’s-not-normal way) & if they should meet in Zephrah instead - Pandora answers that it is normal for her and it was actually the second assassination attempt, and much better than the last one. She also says Stilben will be fine, and she’ll take care of the problem.
(3) Tells Pandora they are touring Zephrah and that Paige is buying Aida a fanny pack - Pandora responds that makes sense, and says she’s sorry and hopes the party can cooperate for the entirety of the adventure. Paige is not clear on what she means about sorry.
Aida casts sending once to Rumis to ask how he is - Rumis responds that he is well and is a day and a half out from Stilben.
Aida & Paige decide to explore Zephrah so they arrive around the same time as Rumis.
- Dione appears to Rumis before the airship leaves for Stilben with an offer of answers.
Rumis Lore Drop: Raven Queen is invested/involved in his journey
Squawk (who Dione calls Jimothy) is revealed to be a direct line to the Raven Queen, and Dione informs Rumis he has received the blessings of three deities: the Matron (The Raven Queen), the Knowing Mentor (Ioun), and the Changebringer (Avandra).
Benefits of Blessings: Advantage on saving throws against spells & magic, + 2 to Con, and + 1 to AC (these benefits last until the 20th of Cuersarr)
Dione reveals that he can’t say too much for fear of messing with fate; again the word fate-touched is used, with the implication that the party has more control of their fate than most as a consequence.
Rumis offers Dione a token of friendship - a symbol of the Changebringer, Evandra - and Dione states that their paths might cross once more.
The Myriad | Stilben (Tal’Dorei) | Obtain Fendril Vas’ Fortune
- Located potential heir
Pandora & Rodreck | Stilben (Tal’Dorei)
Alyxian enslaves an initiate that is feeding him a corpse, and eats the initiate too.
Rodreck casts sending to contact Aida, and Aida is deeply confused by his “depressing poetry” and off vibes. Pandora explains he should say it plainly, and Rodreck disagrees, believing their first meeting (his & the party’s) should have poetry to it.
Pandora & Rodreck grab a bite to eat out in Stilben, and discuss candidates for their plan to Obtain Fendril Vas’ Fortune. They decide on a candidate named Mr. Llawran Thornbond, an attractive human with a prosthetic leg and low level of intelligence (easy to manipulate, an orphan, etc.)
As Rodreck and Pandora prepare to search for him, they are accosted by the would-be assassin Alyxian enslaved who Pandora gouged the eyes out of. As she attempts to interrogate him - eventually freeing him from her Blood Puppet ability and letting him run if he never returns - she is accosted by four necromantic wizards and the eight zombies they summon.
Rodreck, with a brilliant use of animate objects, is now Pandora’s best friend.
After FOUR circles of death, with Rodreck low on health, Pandora and Rodreck turn invisible and flee without locating their future false heir.
Paige wants to get close to the portal to the elemental plane of air, but can’t find it without the help of someone who knows where it is. Paige wants to learn about the portal from people who know about it and summons an air elemental non-violently (who looks like a dust devil) to find the heart of the city, as it is known.
Aida immediately splits off, seeing the trouble Paige is going to get into, and Paige manages to get 60ft into the forest before being surrounded by the Air Ashari (at least a dozen with bows knocked but not necessarily pointing at Paige.)
Paige speaks with the head druid, Robin Hollyheart, and they have a lengthy conversation with the use of a zone of truth. After Robin realizes Paige is not there with poor intentions, only poor social skills, she is much kinder and tells Paige she shares commonalities with the Cobalt Soul and may find a path to join them beneficial (Paige is disgusted).
Paige hints about her own issues with her self-worth being tied to her intelligence and curiosity about the various planes, and Robin tells her she may enjoy the forests but not visit the portal, and that she should breathe the fresh air. AKA Therapy attempt two!
Robin says that they are protectors, not mentors, but knowledge is something to be shared, and writes the spell Wind Walk in Paige’s spellbook.
Actively or passively tracking Aida & Paige, with a form of insurance wrapped around Paige’s wrist.
It is as of yet unknown what they will ask, only that the debt will not be repaid until Paige & Aida earn the offer of membership into the Cobalt Soul.
- Aida, with the help of Jon, gets some shopping in (cloaks of weather protection) before retiring to a hotel with an adjacent hot springs for the night.
Rodreck’s Poem
Nearly killed by assassins
Spiritless dead made by necromancers
They nearly ended our passions
A serious event like cancers.
Rodreck’s Second Poem
But see, amid the mimic rout,
A crawling shape intrude!
A blood-red thing that writhes from out
The scenic solitude!
